Last year, the untimely rain had hit sunflower seeds that were stored in market yards of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and other states in the northern region. Loss in Asia's biggest grain market at Khanna in Ludhiana in Punjab alone was "massive". The farmers had been forced to sell their produce at about Rs 800 per quintal against the minimum support price of Rs 960 per quintal.

Losses suffered by solvent extraction industry also took its toll and in Punjab, even NAFED (National Agriculture Federation)-the central nodal agency for Sunflower and MARKFED (Marketing Federation)- the state's agency for the crop could do little to ensure even the minimum support price. The overall decline in the prices of edible oils also affected the sunflower crop as expected and till mid-June when Khanna, thebiggest grain market in Asia was flooded with this black gold making it look like a black sheet in the whole market. Last year's scene is being repeated in the region but it is with a difference. This time its the production of sunflower crop that has been hit. However, on the pricing front, figures obtained from the market indicate that the produce is being sold at a rate which is much above the minimum support price.

In Punjab, the government has fixed a minimum support price of Rs 1,000 per quintal against Rs 960 per quintal last year. However, the produce is being sold at a rate ranging between Rs 1,200 and Rs 1,400 per quintal. In Haryana too, the crop has hit the market since first week of June and was quoted at rates higher than the minimum support price according to RS Mahla, joint director, State Agriculture Department.

Figures collected from Agriculture Department of Punjab indicate that land under sunflower cultivation this cropping season was at about 94,000 hectares as against the previousyear's 125,000 hectares. The area under sunflower cultivation as such had come down by about 29,000 hectares in Punjab alone. Same was the condition in Haryana where the decline in the area was believed to be between 10 and 15 per cent over the previous year.

The chart shows decline in area under sunflower cultivation in Punjab: Area under sunflower cultivation in Punjab. In Uttar Pradesh, five districts were identified under a state government drive "Technical Mission on Soil Seed" in the year 1986. By the year 1997, the area under cultivation of sunflower in these five districts had risen to 32,692 acres. However, even in Uttar Pradesh, the area under sunflower cultivation had come down this time though decline is not very significant sources said.

According to AS Randhawa, Director (Agriculture), Punjab, during 1997, there were few takers for the sunflower seeds and the farmers had to sell their produce at rates much lower than the MSP fixed by the government. The rains had damaged their crop atthe time of harvesting and when the produce is taken to the market.

This year, a new phenomenon forced farmers to withdraw from cultivation of sunflower as seeds sown did not germinate in view of heavy rains during February and March. Heliothis incidence was also reported from some fields and the size of sunflower was very small at some places because the crop could not flower properly due to untimely rains, pests and variation in temperature. To add to the miseries of farmers, the unusually high temperature now had cut short the harvesting time during day leading to escalation in labour costs. Experts say that when rains set in before harvesting, seeds get infected with fungus leading to poor quality of seeds.

The saving grace in Uttar Pradesh was the subsidy of Rs 300 per quintal given by the state government to farmers. In addition Rs 1,400 per hectare was provided to the farmers to meet the expenses on purchase of required quantity of fertilises and pesticides.

Enquiries reveal that from Kanpur andMeerut in Uttar Pradesh, the sunflower seeds are sent to grain market in Delhi and then to Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.